


Earth Shattering

by childofmischief



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, The Legend of Korra - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Character Study, F/F, F/M, Gay, Lesbian, Second Person, lin needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21682744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofmischief/pseuds/childofmischief
Summary: You were born into this world a screaming kicking miracle.AKA: A character study on Lin Beifong, in second person
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 82





	Earth Shattering

You were born into this world a screaming, kicking miracle, daughter of the legendary earthbender, inventor of metal bending. You don’t know your father, you don’t even think your mom knows him. She’s not around enough, but you know she has a very busy job so you try not to get hung up too much on it. But sometimes you can’t help but be made at her sometimes. 

You are about six year old when your little sister, Suyin, is born. She didn’t scream and kick as much as you did, but mom said your birth was a lot easier than hers. 

The days get longer and longer and mom stops being as caring as she was before Su was born. You start to depend on Katara and Aang and sometimes Sokka, who always seems uncomfortable when you talk about your mom. You can never tell why. 

You get older, growing to stand taller than your mom, your bones aching when you wake up sometimes because growing hurts. When Su’s mad at you, she sometimes screams that your just like mom, and that stings. Mom has turned to the bottle most nights, and you worry that she’s gonna leave you for good. 

You finally become an officer, and the day you graduate from the academy, you have the biggest smile on your face. Aang, hobbling on his little cane hugs you, pride in his eyes. Katara and Sokka follow, and Zuko sends his regards. The only adult to not congratulate you is mom, but then again, you’re used to it. 

Sometimes you hate Su so, so much. You weren’t even surprised when you thought she was a member of the triad. You were 21 when Su scarred you for life, crying out in pain when the metal contacted with your face, tears springing in your eyes. You haven’t cried in a long time, not even in pain. 

Kya is the one who patches you up, a soft smile on her face when she tells you it will heal, for the most part. She listens to you vent about Su, before she has go see another patient. You wish you say her more. 

“What were you thinking?!” Toph says, the question aimed at the two of you, as you sit in her office, you with your arms crossed and walls up. She scolds you for arresting your sister, and though she doesn’t say it, you know mom thinks your a disappointment. 

She sends Su away and leaves you in Republic City with her. A few years pass, and you start spending nights on Air Temple Island, growing closer and closer to Tenzin, eventually dating him, and sometimes you can’t tell what the fluttering in your chest is. 

But like everything, he broke up with you, and of course he had to it in his mother’s garden. You destroy it, and later deeply apologize to Katara about it. 

You were at Air Temple Island when Aang passed. As his health worsened, Kya, who you had become closer too, begged you to stay at the island with her family. Work was tiring, and you practically collapse into bed. You awake to sobbing screams, which you quickly identify as Katara. You, Kya and Tenzin find her sobbing over Aang’s body, looking as though he was sleeping. You stand, frozen, eyes wide. It feels like a family moment and you’re intruding, but Aang was the closest thing you had to father, so you jump to sit with Katara, rubbing her back. You’ve dealt with loss and pain, but death is a new sting you don’t know. 

You’re 33 when Toph disappears in the middle of the night and you’re suddenly the Chief of Police. You have lost so much, and your mom had added more on top of that. A swirl of emotions rise in your chest and you’re this close to breaking down completely, but you keep a straight face. You’re alone now, completely alone. Su was sent away and mom left you. 

You’re 40 when Sokka dies, defending his city. You don’t know how to take it, and Katara takes it even worse. Kya whispers to you on your last night together that she’s moving to the South Pole to be with her mom. You beg her stay, grasping on the memory of her skin against yours. 

You spend 10 years thrown into your work, defending Republic City, from whoever, whenever. You arrest the Avatar, and in her grown up face, you see the baby you protected from kidnapping all those years ago. Tenzin asks for you to release her, and the softness in his eyes is something you miss. You want to say no. When she leaves, you see Sokka in her movements, and it brings a brief, fleeting smile on to your face. 

Amon rises into power, and you feel powerless to stop him. He almost killed Korra, and from that moment on, you take a vow to protect that girl goddamnit. 

Amon takes the breath out of you when you lose your bending, the very thing that made you strong. You would do it again, 1,000 times over for the safety of the airbenders but it hurt. You felt as though at any given moment your knees were going to buckle out from under you and send you crashing to the floor. 

Amon got the airbenders any. Your sacrifice was in vain. In the end, Korra was able to save them and restore your bending. You took a break from Republic City, much to your own dismay, to recover from the 50 years worth of being beat down again and again. You knew it was what you needed. 

You remember sitting in the healing tent, worried sick about Jinora while the battle of spirits raged outside. Korra could handle herself, you knew that, but it was still very concerning. 

You saw Su again, when Korra almost died. It was a bittersweet reunion. She saved Korra’s life, even if it left her paralyzed. You stood by her, offered a shoulder, even if she wouldn’t take. She reminded you of you, even when she clearly needed help, she tried to stay strong. You wish you weren’t like that, and hoped she would eventually ask. 

The sight of Kya still makes your heart flutter in your chest. You still don’t quite know what to make of those feelings. 

You proudly watch a new air bending master. She is strong and brilliant and you know the look on Tenzin’s face is one of immense pride. Jinora is stone face, but you see a smile slip through. 

The Avatar disappeared for 3 years. You thought she was recovering at home, but Tenzin informa you she left 6 months before she was supposed to arrive in Republic City. You worry more for her than you ever have in your life. 

When she comes back, her hair is shorter, more practical. But she looks so tired. You are glad to see the Avatar again, but the bags under her eyes tells you that she has not recovered as much as you’d hoped. You know that look in her eyes, of traumatized tiredness. 

Her bending is not as good as you remember, her limbs not working for her. But she does it, she defeats Kuvira, like every other bad guy she has beat before. Some light starts to returns to her eyes, and when she walks into the portal with Asami, you finally have the courage to tell Kya how you feel. 

Your stomach does summersaults when you find her, and spit out a choked confession. She feels the same way you do, and you fall into a comfortable rhythm with her, remembering that night so long ago, the touch of her skin against yours still etched into your memory. 

Your life isn’t perfect, but you have so much going for you.


End file.
